The top-level domain (TLD) “.WORLD” is an internet category identifier introduced and managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) used to help users recognize and navigate to different sections of the internet. Generally, a TLD falls into one of two categories: country-specific (like “.us” for the United States or “.jp” for Japan) or generic (like “.com” or “.net”). “.WORLD” falls into the latter category (ICANN, 2020).
The “.WORLD” TLD originated and is managed by Donuts Inc., a company that specializes in providing unique and personalized internet domain names. The “.WORLD” TLD was delegated to the root zone by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on 5th of September 2015 (NameStat.org, 2021).
The “.WORLD” TLD is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) and it operates similarly to other more recognized domains like “.com” or “.net”. There are no specific restrictions on who can use “.WORLD” as seen on some other TLDs. This means .WORLD domains are available to all businesses, organizations or individuals around the globe desiring to establish a distinctive, memorable, and relevant web presence.
To illustrate, the potential users of “.WORLD” domain could range from individuals launching a travel blog, like “myadventures.WORLD”, to companies wanting to showcase their global presence such as “companyname.WORLD”. As such, the “.WORLD” TLD can give the impression of a global reach or representation, despite the actual geographical limitations of the entity that it represents.
According to domain registration statistics from DomainNameStat, there were around 151,000 registered .WORLD domains as of October 2021, which is a relative small number compared to the over 150 million .COM domains, indicating that .WORLD is a less common choice.
As a final note, despite the flexibility and wide-range use of “.WORLD”, it’s worth pointing out that securing a domain name does not mean automatic search engine recognizability or popularity. An entity’s internet popularity is largely driven by strategic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices and the quality of the content provided, rather than the novelty of its domain name (Search Engine Journal, 2021).
In terms of sourcing, the information in this article was primarily derived from the ICANN’s website, DomainNameStat, and NameStat.org for statistics around “.WORLD” registrations, and the Search Engine Journal for insights on the importance of domain name choice in relation to SEO success.
Sources used:
1. ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, 2020
2. NameStat.org, 2021
3. DomainNameStat, 2021
4. Search Engine Journal, 2021.
